Tensioning device for scissors and shears.



N0. 799,882. PATENTED SEPT. 19, 1905. J. J. ANDERSON & J. P. FISHER.TBNSIONING DEVICE FOR SGISSORS AND SHEARS.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN.12. 1904.

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UNITED STATES PATENT or'rronf.

JOHN J. ANDERSON AND JOSEPH F. FISHER, OF FREMONT, OHIO, AS SIGNORS TOB. A. BYRNE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

TENSIONING DEVICE FOR SClSSORS AND SHEARS.

Specification of Letters Iateni.

Patented Sept. 1 a, 1 905.

Application filed January 12,1904. Serial No. 188,771.

To all, whom, zit may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN J. ANDERSON and JOSEPH F. FISHER, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Fremont, in the county of Sandusky andState of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in'TensioningDevices for Scissors and Shears, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in scissors and shears, and hasfor its object the provision of anew and novel tensioning means wherebythe cutting edges of the blades are held firmly against each other toinsure at all times even and uniform cutting, and 'a further Object ofthe invention is to lessen the wear on thehead of the pivotal screw.

The invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of theseveral parts of the device as will be hereinafter described,illustrated in the drawings, and more particularly pointed out in theclaim hereunto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a pair of shearshaving our improved tensioning device applied thereto. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectional view taken on the line 00 00, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is atop view of one of the blades, the tension-plate being removedtherefrom. Fig. 4: is a detail of the tensionplate, partly broken away,showing the screwthreaded opening or aperture for the tensionscrew; andFig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section thereof.

Referring to the several views, the numeral 1 indicates a pair ofscissors or shears, 2 the bottom or right-hand blade, and 3 the top orlefthand blade. The blade 2 is provided with the usual screw-threadedopeningt for the reception of the screw-threaded end 5 of the pivotalscrew 6. This blade is of the same construction as the correspondingblade of the ordinary scissors or shears and needs no furtherdescription.

The top or left-hand blade 3 is provided with a suitable opening 7,through which the body of the pivot-screw 6 is passed,'and issubstantially of the same construction of the corresponding blade of theordinary scissors or shears, with the exception that the opening 7 isnot screw-threaded. This opening 7 is slightly larger than the body ofthe pivotal screw to permit the free passage of said screwbodytherethrough.

The numeral 8 indicates a suitable plate,

preferably curved, as shown, having therein an opening 9, also slightlygreater than the diameter of the body of the pivotal screw 6, butsmaller than the diameter of the head of said screw. One end 10 of thisplate 8 is preferably forked or bifurcated for the purpose ofproviding'a firm bearing for the end of said plate 8, while near theopposite end 11 is a screw-threaded opening or aperture 12 for thereception of a set-screw 13. v

The numeral 14 indicates a seat in the outer face of the blade 3, intowhich the end of the set-screw 13 sets when the device is applied to apair of scissors or shears.

This device is applied to the scissors or shears in the followingmanner: The blades are placed on one another in the usual way, and thetension-plate 8 is placed on the upper or left-hand blade, curve up,with its opening 9 registering with the openings 7 and 4 of the blades 3and 2, respectively. The pivotscrew 6 is then passed into these openingsand its screw-threaded end 5 screwed into the opening 4: in the blade 2until the end of said screw is flush with the outer surface of the blade2 and the head of said screw rests or impinges against said plate 8. Theset-screw 13 is then placed in the aperture 12 and turned therein untilthe end thereof sets in the seat 14 in the face of the blade 3, as isapparent, and when thus assembled said scissors or shears are ready foruse. When for any reason it is desired to increase the tension of theshears or scissors, the set-screw 13 is turned down hard against saidblade 3, thereby, by reason of being connected with said plate byscrewthreads, raising the end 11 and forcing the plate upward againstthe under side of the head of the pivotal screw, and thereby forcing thecutting edges of the two blades together, whereby the tension of theshears or scissors may be set-to any desired degree-that is, said bladesmay be so adjusted that there will be no tension at all or they may betensioned to any degree up to a point where it will be difficult tooperate the shears. This latter degree of tension is never of courseused, but the extent of movement of the device is desirable for thereason that no matter how great the wear may be on the device such wearcan never be so great as to prevent the proper tensioning of the blades,as will be evident. When for any reason it is desirable to loosen thetension of the blades, the same is accomplished by turning the set-screwup until the desired decreased tension is secured.

It is evident that this device may be applied to old as well as newshears by lengthening the pivot-screw suflicient to permit the plate 8to set under the head thereof.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

In a pair of scissors or shears, the combination with a pair of blades,one of said blades having a plain opening and the other a screwthreadedopening therein, and a pivotal screw of a greater length than thecombined thickness of the two blades, said pivotal screw setting throughthe plain opening in one blade and having its end secured in thescrewthreaded opening in the other blade, of a curved tensioning-platehaving a plain opening therein and a screw-threaded aperture at or nearone end thereof, and its opposite end forked or bifurcated to providetwo fulcrumpoints upon which said plate rests when tilted, and athumb-screw adapted to set in the screwthreaded aperture, saidtensioning-plate being adapted to set under the head of said pivotalscrew with its two fulcrum-points resting on the adjacent blade,whereby, when said thumb-screw is turned down against the adjacentblade, the tensioning plate will be forced up against the under side ofthe head of the pivotal screw, drawing the blades together andincreasing the tension thereof, and loosening the tension of said bladeswhen the thumb-screw is loosened.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN J. ANDERSON. JOSEPH F. FISHER.

Witnesses:

JOHN J. LEHMANN, CLARA STEINHAUSER.

